Operant and Pavlovian factors in cross-response transfer of inhibitory stimulus control

Abstract

Experiment 1 used a within-response procedure to compare inhibitory stimulus control of the extinction cue in multiple variable interval-extinction ( mult VI EXT) and the variable time cue in multiple variable interval-variable time ( mult VI VT). Experiment 2A made the same comparison using a crossresponse procedure. In addition, Experiment 2A also tested the extinction cue in multiple variable time-extinction ( mult VT EXT), and Experiment 2B tested the variable time cue in mult VT EXT. Unlike the mult VI EXT and mult VI VT conditions, the mult VT EXT condition was administered in the absence of a response manipulandum. The main findings of the present study were: (1) cross-response suppression by the variable time cue in mult VI VT; (2) greater response suppression by the extinction cue in mult VI EXT than by either the variable time cue in mult VI VT or the extinction cue in mult VT EXT; and (3) response facilitation by the variable time cue in mult VT EXT. These findings indicate that inhibitory stimulus control based on an operant source (i.e., absence of an R-S contingency) does transfer across responses, and that such transfer cannot be explained in terms of competing responses. These findings also indicate that operant and Pavlovian sources of stimulus control summate algebraically to determine the inhibitory strength of the extinction cue in mult VI EXT. Finally, the third finding is not consistent with notions that emphasize the importance of location and localization of cues explicitly paired with positive events.